5 breakout stars to watch for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021

1. Michael Pittman Jr., WR

Pittman missed games early in his rookie season after surgery to fix compartment leg syndrome in his calf, then as T.Y. Hilton re-emerged for a time his role was diminished more often than not. All told he finished with 40 catches for 503 yards and a touchdown in 13 regular-season games. But he did finish on a high note, with five receptions (on a team-high 10 targets) for 90 yards in the playoff loss to the Bills.

Hilton will remain a notable contributor for the Colts, with Zach Pascal and Parris Campbell as promising wide receivers too. But there’s a path to Pittman being the team’s No. 1 wide receiver unless they take one in the first round to harsh that buzz.

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Pittman’s size and speed combo is rare. At 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, Player Profiler has his Speed Score in the 93rd percentile. The site also has his Catch Radius in the 89th percentile, with Agility and Burst Scores each above the 55th percentile.

Pittman is lined up for a big second-year leap in 2021.